The chart below shows the partisan composition of the [[Governor of Colorado|Office of the Governor of Colorado]], the [[Colorado State Senate]] and the [[Colorado House of Representatives]] from 1992-2013.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the [[Governor of Colorado|Office of the Governor of Colorado]], the [[Colorado State Senate]] and the [[Colorado House of Representatives]] from 1992-2013.

[[File:Partisan composition of Colorado state government(1992-2013).PNG]]

[[File:Partisan composition of Colorado state government(1992-2013).PNG]]

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====SQLI and partisanship====

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Colorado was one of eight states to demonstrate [[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States? Changes of Partisan Domination over 22 years|a dramatic partisan shift]] in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period. Colorado has shifted dramatically from Republican to Democratic control.

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The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Colorado state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Colorado has consistently ranked in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking during the period of the study, and also ranked in the top-5 for thirteen of the twenty years studied. The state has ranked 1st for two separate years (1997 and 2007), once under divided government and once under a Democratic trifecta. Colorado experienced its most precipitous drop in the SQLI ranking between 2009 and 2010, while still remaining in the top-10 of states. Republican trifectas occurred during the periods between 1999 and 2000 and again between 2003 and 2004, while Democratic trifectas occurred between 2007 and 2011 and again beginning in 2013 to the present. The state experienced a disruption in the Democratic trifectas between those periods when Republicans controlled the state house for two years, between 2010 and 2013.

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*SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 3.25

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*SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 5.50

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*SQLI average with divided government: 4.69

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[[File:Colorado SQLI visualization.PNG|thumb|center|1000px|Chart displaying the partisanship of Colorado government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).]]

Sessions

Article V of the Colorado Constitution establishes when the Colorado General Assembly, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 7 of Article V states that the Assembly is to convene its regular session no later than the second Wednesday of January of each year. Regular sessions are not to exceed one hundred twenty calendar days.

Section 7 also states that the Governor of Colorado can convene special sessions of the General Assembly. Special sessions can also be convened by a two-thirds vote of the members of both legislative houses.

2010

Elections for the office of Colorado State Senator were held in Colorado on November 2, 2010. State senate seats in 19 of Colorado's 35 districts were on the ballot in 2010. Districts on the ballot are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was May 27, 2010, and the primary election day was August 10, 2010.

In the 2010 elections, the candidates running for senate raised $2,331,554 in campaign funds. The top 10 overall contributors were: [7]

2000

Elections for the office of Colorado State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 8, 2000 and a general election on November 7, 2000.

During the 2000 elections, the total contributions to Senate candidates was $2,560,299. The top 10 contributors were:[12]

2000 Donors, Colorado State Senate

Donor

Amount

Colorado Republican Party

$85,961

Colorado Democratic Party

$72,230

Colorado Republican Cmte Senate Leadership Trust

$49,000

New Democrat Network

$24,000

Colorado Professional Fire Fighters

$18,000

Democrat Senate Campaign Fund

$17,510

Colorado State Conference Of Electrical Workers

$17,000

Workers Compensation Coalition PAC

$16,950

Farmers Insurance Group

$16,750

National Rifle Association

$15,720

Qualifications

Article 5, Section 4 of the Colorado Constitution states: No person shall be a representative or senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, who shall not be a citizen of the United States, who shall not for at least twelve months next preceding his election, have resided within the territory included in the limits of the county or district in which he shall be chosen; provided, that any person who at the time of the adoption of this constitution, was a qualified elector under the territorial laws, shall be eligible to the first general assembly.

Vacancies

In the event of any vacancy in the Senate, the political party that holds the vacant seat is responsible for deciding a replacement[13]. A vacancy committee consisting of members of the political party holding the vacant seat must conduct an election when deciding an appointee. A simple majority vote of members in the vacancy committee is needed to approve any appointment. The person selected to fill the vacancy serves until the next scheduled general election[14].

Redistricting

Although the state legislature is responsible for drawing Congressional districts, the Colorado Reapportionment Commission is responsible for drawing state legislative districts. The Commission is comprised of four members appointed by the General Assembly, three appointed by the governor, and four appointed by the Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice.[16]

2010

Colorado's population increased from 4.30 million to 5.03 million between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.[17] Much of the state's 16.9 percent growth occurred in the I-25 corridor, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Roughly half of the state's population increase was a result of Hispanic population growth. The Colorado Springs area and the southern Denver suburbs experienced the highest rates of population increase. Despite the fast rate of growth, Colorado did not gain another Congressional seat as a result of the new U.S. Census numbers.[18]

The Colorado Reapportionment Commission, which review plans drafted by both Republicans and Democrats, selected a Democratic plan for the new state legislative districts. Both parties filed lawsuits, and the Colorado Supreme Court rejected the plan. Subsequently, the Commission submitted a new reapportionment plan, also drawn by Democrats. This plan received the Supreme Court's approval.[19][20]

Salaries

As of 2013, members of the Colorado legislature are paid $30,000 per year. They are also given per diem of $183 for members who live more than 50 miles from capitol and $45 for members who live 50 or fewer miles from capitol.[22]

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, the Republican Party was the majority in the Colorado State Senate for 11 years and the Democrats were the majority for the other 11 years. During the final nine years of the study, the Colorado senate was controlled by the Democratic party with the final year (2013) being a Democratic trifecta.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

SQLI and partisanship

Colorado was one of eight states to demonstrate a dramatic partisan shift in the 22 years studied. A dramatic shift was defined by a movement of 40 percent or more toward one party over the course of the study period. Colorado has shifted dramatically from Republican to Democratic control.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Colorado state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Colorado has consistently ranked in the top-10 in the SQLI ranking during the period of the study, and also ranked in the top-5 for thirteen of the twenty years studied. The state has ranked 1st for two separate years (1997 and 2007), once under divided government and once under a Democratic trifecta. Colorado experienced its most precipitous drop in the SQLI ranking between 2009 and 2010, while still remaining in the top-10 of states. Republican trifectas occurred during the periods between 1999 and 2000 and again between 2003 and 2004, while Democratic trifectas occurred between 2007 and 2011 and again beginning in 2013 to the present. The state experienced a disruption in the Democratic trifectas between those periods when Republicans controlled the state house for two years, between 2010 and 2013.

SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 3.25

SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 5.50

SQLI average with divided government: 4.69

Chart displaying the partisanship of Colorado government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).